Leeds band Menace Beach are a band steeped in 90s alt-rock. After the success of their debut album release Ratwork, celebrated as a concentrated exuberance of alterna-pop, they’re back with Lemon Memory. With only a year passed from Ratwork’s release, Lemon Memory poses the question as to whether much could have changed in the short time they’ve taken to produce Lemon Memory, however first listen to the album reveals one eminent development: unapologetic attitude.

The album is fast-paced, angsty and overwhelmingly infectious, exuding a confidence artwork just could not capture. Sweet and sickly alt-pop has been replaced with bitter melancholy and piercing guitar rages, an indirect ode to the album’s ‘lemon’ motif.

Introducing Menace Beach’s fuzz-drenched album is its opener, ‘Give Blood’, a track with searing attitude. “Why’d you always sing about death” Ryan Needham cackles nihilistically into the microphone “…because I don’t want to sing about life!”. White noise solo’s and stop-start melodies set the tone, with Menace Beach emulating their angsty efforts with accompanying tracks ‘Sentimental’, ‘Suck It Out’, and ‘Can’t Get a Haircut’. Brisk guitar riffs alongside screeching musical dialect convey Menace Beach’s directive for Lemon Memory: “Sentimental. I don’t think so.”

Needless to say, the album doesn’t lack depth – Ryan Needham and Liza Violet have written in a fair share of downbeat ambience into the record, weaving in slow grooves and organ sounds against reverberated melodies. What is special about this record amongst other Menace Beach releases is the advantageous extension of Violet’s vocals alongside Ryan’s. Her vocals are pitched just above Needham’s in a harmonious unison that ultimately soothes the tone of the track just enough to make it equally as tender as it is gritty. Violet’s vocal contribution has been stretched out further throughout Lemon Memory than Ratwork, and this only seeks to benefit it as an overall piece.

It is fantastic to see a band that oozes so much potential to make a move towards conscience move toward angst. Lemon Memory is an explicit improvement on Ratwork. The effect is transformative and fuzz-drenched and makes for an intriguing transparency. The dreamy haze littered on previous releases has been broken by corroded guitars and sarcastic insights into the darker thoughts of Menace Beach. Albeit the album is still wholly alt-pop, it is refreshing to hear Menace Beach delve a little further into the darker side of their genre.
Sian Blewitt

Website: menacebeach.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/menacingbeaches
Twitter: twitter.com/MENACE_BEACH